Refrigerated-goods display cases generally are utilized in supermarkets and even smaller commercial and retail establishments and generally comprise a base or support upon which the goods are displayed on a surface within a viewing area which can be delimited by transparent walls or windows. This area, accessible from the rear of the display case to the worker, permits the consumer to see the goods which he or she may wish to purchase.
Generally a cooling unit is provided, e.g. a refrigerator, and means is also provided to circulate air which is cooled by the first mentioned unit through the case and over the goods displayed thereon.
The cooling of the goods can be either continuous or at time-spaced intervals and the cooling airstream is generated by passing it over the evaporator of the refrigerating unit, i.e. the heat exchanger of the latter which is cooled by the refrigerant.
The means for circulating the airstream may be a radial blower or fan which either draws the air from or forces the air into the cooled space above the goods-display platform.
Customarily the device for cooling and the means for circulating the air are located below the presentation surface of platform of the body of the display case.
The display case must be internally cleaned from time to time to remove various contaminants which may collect therein. For example, when the display case is used in a meat market or the like, blood and juices which may run down from the meat tend to collect on or below the platform or in crevices between the platform and the other walls of the display case. For sanitary reasons as well as for aesthetic reasons it is essential to be able to remove these contaminants. The washing operation may be carried out by hand and may require the use of a cleaning liquid which may drip down onto the air-circulating means as well as the refrigerating means.
Consequently, with conventional display cases of this type, the air-circulating means and the refrigerating means are generally provided so that they can be readily removed to remove such contaminants therefrom, e.g. after the platform upon which the goods are displayed has been removed.
However, while connectors and the like which allow these units to be removed can be readily provided, problems are involved in their removal since frequently they include sharp edges and the like which render them difficult to handle by personnel unskilled in the handling of mechanical devices such as the retail store personnel who are generally involved in the cleaning of such display cases.
A system in which, after the goods-display platform can be swung up to afford access to the air-circulating and refrigerating means located therebelow for cleaning purposes is described in European patent application EP-A No. 16 402. Cleaning even with this system is a problem.
One problem with this earlier system is that because the platform is utilized to support some or all of the means for circulating and cooling the air, it must be made relatively massive and heavy in order to afford the desired degree of stability. Furthermore, access is limited to a considerable part of the refrigerating system including the evaporator which cannot be removed even with this system in a simple manner.